After the Hellmouth
by DG
Summary: May up the rating in future chapters. Buffy goes up against something unlike anything she's ever faced before. This time, though, that's the truth.
1. Chapter 1

Faith, Giles, Dawn, Willow and Xander all gathered around Buffy on the edge of the crater where Sunnydale, California once stood. Now, there was simply a large hole in the ground with pieces of buildings sticking out. Xander even thought he could see the sign from the Bronze sticking out of the rubble.  
"Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business," Faith smiled exuberantly.  
"There's another one in Cleveland," Giles said, matter-of-factly. The others glared at him, and he quickly added, "Not to spoil the moment."  
"We saved the world," Xander said.  
"We changed the world. I can feel them, Buffy. All over. Slayers are awakening everywhere," Willow said, a smile spreading across her face.  
"We'll have to find them," Dawn said. Her eyes never left the hole that once was her home.  
"We will," Willow nodded.  
"Yes, because the mall was actually in Sunnydale so there's no hope of going there tomorrow," Giles chuckled.  
"We destroyed the mall? I fought on the wrong side," Dawn said with a slight shake of her head.  
"All those shops, gone. The Gap, Starbucks, Toy R Us... who will remember all those landmarks unless we tell the world of them?" Xander asked, smiling.  
"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Giles said.  
"Can I push him in?" Faith asked, turning to the others and pointing to Giles.  
"You've got my vote," Willow smiled, turning to the Slayer. Faith gave Giles a playful shove.  
"I just want to sleep, yo. For like a week!" Faith exclaimed.  
"I guess we all could. If we wanted to," Dawn sighed.  
"Yeah, The First is scrunched so... what do you think we should do, Buffy?" Willow asked, turning to the blonde woman who'd been silent for a while.  
"Yeah, you're not the one and only Chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?" Faith grinned.  
"Yeah, Buffy. What are we going to do now?" Dawn asked. Buffy stared off instead of answering, and slowly a grin spread across her face. The gang just looked at the big gaping hole. Suddenly, Dawn began to sing, and that drew Buffy, Willow, Giles, and Xander to join.  
  
Where do we go from here?  
Where do we go from here?  
The battle's done and we kind of won  
So we sound our victory cheer  
Where do we go from here?  
  
Why is the path unclear?  
When we know home is near?  
Understand  
We'll go hand in hand  
But we'll walk alone in fear  
Tell me  
Where do we go from here?  
  
When does the end appear?  
When do the trumpets cheer?  
The curtains close on a kiss, God knows  
We can tell the end is near  
  
Where do we go from here?  
Where do we go from here?  
  
Where do we go from here?  
  
"What was that?" Faith asked with a laugh and a raised eyebrow.  
"Uh, a little bit of a memory, sorta," Dawn said with a wince. She had forgotten that anyone other than Giles, Xander, Buffy, Willow and she were there.  
"Memory?"  
"Last year. I'll explain later," Buffy said.  
"You'd better, B," Faith said with a smile. The stayed in about the same spot and positions for a few minutes, just looking at the crater of Sunnydale.  
"Not so sunny anymore, huh?" Xander asked. Dawn chuckled. Something inside them told them it was time to leave their former homes. One by one they headed back onto the bus. Buffy was the last one.  
"Are we ready to go?" Buffy asked as she got on.  
"I'd say so, B. Everybody's patched up enough for a trip somewhere. I hear L.A.'s great this time of year," Faith smiled.  
"Sounds good to me. I can tell we need some L.A. medicine anyway," Buffy sighed, sitting in the front seat.  
"Got that right. But I think I'd better lay low," Faith smiled.  
"Why?" Robin asked.  
"Well, last time I was in the crater formally known as Sunnydale, I wound up killing a guy, so I ran to L.A. and Angel, Buffy's ex, who got me to turn myself in. Then I broke out of prison to help save Angel, and then came back here, so you know the rest of the story," Faith said.  
"I bet Angel would be happy to let us use his hotel to rest up in," Willow said.  
"Angel Investigations has always welcomed us in the past," Xander smirked.  
"Xander, what about...?" Dawn trailed off.  
"There's no body. As far as I'm going to consider, she escaped and is waiting for me somewhere," Xander said, even though in his heart he knew that Anya was dead and gone, lost forever in the crater that now passed as the remains of Sunnydale.  
"We left a lot of our dead in Sunnydale, both those that died in battle and those that died before. Anya. Amanda. Spike. Molly. Annabelle. Chloe. Mom... But we also did a lot of good. We defeated the First and the Turok-Han," Buffy said. Despite the happiness she felt on having saved the world and surviving, a piece of her heart was still in Sunnydale, right where the Seal of Danthazar, the Hellmouth, and an ensouled vampire named Spike were dust.  
"B's right. I say we party," Faith smiled.  
"Great idea. But can we do it after we've got all of our blood inside our bodies?" Robin said with a wince. Buffy looked over at him and noticed that he was still holding his injury.  
"Right. Giles, why don't you take the wheel and let Robin get a bit of rest?" Buffy asked.  
"Of course," the British man said, moving to help Robin out of the driver's seat. He looked back at Buffy. "Buffy, excellent work."  
"Thank you," Buffy smiled.  
  
"Um, I'm no expert, but if Angel is working here, shouldn't there be, I don't know, lights? People?" Xander asked, looking at the dark and vacant Hyperion Hotel.  
"I don't understand. He was still here just a few weeks ago," Willow said.  
"It's eerie. But if Angel's not here, maybe he and his people are out fighting demons," Dawn suggested.  
"Either way, we had better get Wood to the hospital," Buffy said. They headed outside and got back on the bus.  
"Where's Angel?" Giles asked as they came on board.  
"Not there. I don't understand it, but we might as well head to the hospital. Maybe we can figure something out once we're all patched up," Buffy said.  
"Sounds about right." Giles started the bus back up. The ride to the hospital was filled with a mildly unpleasant silence. Andrew attempted to lighten the mood with a game, but it didn't last long. Upon arriving at the hospital, Robin and Buffy were both checked in. Buffy wound up with a few stitches in her side and would be released in the morning. Robin would have to stay for a couple of days. The doctors were amazed with their injuries.  
"Young lady, you are incredibly lucky to be able to survive this. What were you doing that let you get this?" one asked.  
"Believe me, you wouldn't believe it if I told you," Buffy said.  
"Well, you should have come to a hospital as soon as you got this, not waiting the few days it appears to have been there."  
"Would you believe me if I told you I got just this afternoon?" Buffy asked. The doctor gave her an odd look. "Thought not."  
"Doctor, is she going to be able to walk soon?" Willow asked, coming into the room.  
"Well, the blood flow has stopped, so as long as Miss Summers doesn't do any heavy lifting for the next few weeks, I don't see any problems with letting her walk around the hospital tonight. But you get some rest young lady. With the injuries your group had, you would think you were fighting to keep the world from ending," the doctor said and left.  
"You want to tell him, or should I?" Buffy asked with a smile.  
"Buffy, Xander found something I think you need to see. Or rather, someone," Willow said.  
  
"Cordelia? What's she doing here?" Buffy asked, looking at the former Sunnydale high student and ex-Scobby gang member lying in a hospital bed in a coma.  
"Don't know. All I got from her doctor was that she is in a coma and some guys from that law firm Angel fights brought her here," Xander said, looking at his ex-girlfriend.  
"Then maybe we should check out this law firm," Buffy said.  
"Yes, that sounds reasonable. But it will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm afraid the doctors are adamant that we all remain overnight," Giles said, wiping his glasses.  
"Figures. Hospitals always give me the willies, so of course we have to stay for a while," Buffy sighed.  
  
The next morning, Giles had a car rented for them.  
"It's not much, but I figure it will stand out less than a school bus from Sunnydale," Giles said.  
"Right. Well, let's head to this law firm. What it called? 'Creeps R Us'?" Xander asked.  
"No, according to Angel, it's called Wolfram and Hart," Giles said.  
"Yeah, I knew that. I was just being..."  
"Yourself?" Buffy asked.  
"Yeah," Xander sighed.  
"Xander, I miss her too. But she died doing what we were all fighting for. And she also fought for you," Buffy said.  
"How do you know?"  
"I don't. I just know that somehow, she's going to always be with you," Buffy said. She smiled, and they got in the car.  
  
When they arrived at Wolfram and Hart, Buffy grabbed the scythe she'd gotten out of the bus before they left.  
"Do you really think you need that?" Xander asked.  
"If these guys have done anything to Angel, they're going to remember it. Then they're going to remember nothing," Buffy said. They burst into the lobby of Wolfram and Hart. Buffy grabbed the nearest lawyer by the collar and pulled him off the ground.  
"Where's Angel?" she said in a low growl.  
"You want to see Angel? Well, I suppose I could send you to his office," said a feminine voice behind them. Buffy dropped the lawyer who scampered off somewhere and turned. A brunette woman was standing there.  
"Who are you?"  
"Lilah Morgan. Follow me, and I'll take you to Angel," she said. They followed Lilah to an elevator. "Angel is on the twelfth floor," Lilah said. The group cautiously entered the elevator.  
"If this is a trick, you're dead," Buffy said.  
"Not that much of a threat, Miss Summers," Lilah said. She pulled down the scarf from around her neck, revealing that her head had been separated from her body.  
"How...?"  
"The contracts here at Wolfram and Hart extend beyond the grave," Lilah smiled. Then she disappeared.  
"Okay, anyone else ready to leave now?" Xander asked.  
"We're going to see Angel," Buffy said. She pressed the button marked twelve. Oddly enough, included in the elevator was a speaker which pumped out muzak.  
"They really like their nice guy act, don't they?" Buffy said. The elevator dinged at the twelfth floor and the doors slid open.  
"...you tell them that!" Angel's voice cried as the doors opened, followed by the slamming of a phone.  
"Um, Angel. We have guests," said a British voice. Angel and his team turned to see Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles entering the office.  
"Buffy," Angel said.  
"Angel."  
"We, uh, came to help you," Xander said.  
"But it looks like you can handle yourselves," Willow said.  
"I suppose it does. Hello Willow. Xander. Giles," Wesley nodded.  
"Hello Wesley. Fred. Gunn," Willow said.  
"So, you defeated the First?" Angel asked.  
"Yup. Spike wore the amulet. He's dead," Buffy said.  
"Spike? Angel, you didn't mention that Spike was back in Sunnydale," Wesley said.  
"Well-"  
"Spike had a soul. He loved me, and now he's dead. So's Anya," Buffy said.  
"Anya? Anya the former vengeance demon?"  
"Yeah. We've got a lot to tell you," Buffy said.  
  
An hour later, Buffy and her friends had brought Angel and his team up to date and vice versa.  
"So, Sunnydale is completely destroyed?" Wesley asked.  
"Along with the Hellmouth."  
"And Willow, you made every girl who had the potential to be a Slayer into a Slayer with the help of this scythe?"  
"Uh huh," Willow nodded.  
"Incredible."  
"You're all okay? Those that survived anyway?" Angel asked.  
"Uh huh. So, Angel, you've told us about that oh-so-fun former Higher Power who put Cordy in a coma. So tell me this. Why the hell are you in charge of the law firm who has tried to destroy the world?" Buffy asked.  
"Well, uh, it's a long story," Angel said.  
"Angel fought and killed the Higher Power, ending world peace, and Wolfram and Hart gave us control of their L.A. branch," Fred said.  
"Okay, I guess it's not as long as I thought."  
"Well, we were kinda hoping that you'd let us stay at the hotel, but that's out," Xander said.  
"C'mon, guys. I think that we can go pick up the others and go and actually live. We aren't the guardians of the Hellmouth anymore," Buffy said.  
"Y-you aren't going to stay?" Angel asked.  
"No. And Angel, I don't think you should stay here either," Buffy said.  
"She's right. Wolfram and Hart is a place of evil. You can't be this close to evil without being corrupted by it," Giles said.  
"Now, wait a minute-"  
"No. Angel, if you know what's best, you and your team will get on the elevator with us. But we're not staying. This place is sending out evil in waves," Buffy said.  
"I can feel the evil of this place. And I haven't got a smidge of mystical-who's-a-ma-call-its in me," Xander said.  
"Well, don't you at least want someone to take a look at your eye?" Fred asked.  
"What, and lose my excuse to get out of Jaws 3-D? I still have to watch that at the few family reunions I go to," Xander asked.  
"C'mon guys. Let's go," Buffy said. The others got on the elevator.  
"Buffy..." Angel stepped forward.  
"Angel..." They stared at each other, and each saw the resolution that the other had in their eyes. They nodded and went back to their respective groups.  
"Is Faith with you?" Angel asked. Buffy answered without turning back to him.  
"She is."  
"I can pull some strings and let her move around without worrying about the police," Angel said. Buffy nodded and the elevator doors closed behind her.  
  
"So, what now?" Faith asked. Two days had passed since they had arrived in Los Angeles, and Robin had been released from the hospital.  
"We can go wherever we want to," Buffy said.  
"I think that someone needs to go back to England and rebuild the Watcher's Council," Giles said.  
"Rebuild it?" Xander asked, incredulous.  
"Yes. With the right person in charge, I feel that the Watcher's Council can become more than a bunch of pompous windbags who dangle knowledge then take it away and treat the Slayer- Slayers- as a weapon," Giles said.  
"Sounds cool. But I'm gonna go enjoy my new freedom," Faith smiled.  
"Remember the promise you made me?" Robin asked.  
"Oh relax. That's part of the enjoyment," Faith smiled.  
"Okay, please. Don't go any further with that statement," Buffy said. For emphasis, she held up the scythe.  
"Willow and I were thinking of headed for some place where I could learn some of her magicks. I figure that since I'm dating a witch plus the fact that I owe my new Slayer powers to a witch, I should learn some of the things that make a girl a witch. Plus that sun spell Willow mentions sounds like a great way to kick some vampire ass," Kennedy smiled.  
"I recommend Brazil. I have an old friend there who has dabbled in magick before," Giles said.  
"Cool. So, Xand. Where are you going?" Buffy asked.  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe someplace where they've never heard of vampires and I can regale all of the local girls with my knowledge and dynamic abilities," Xander said- just as he tripped over a rock. "I should have seen that coming," he muttered. Buffy let out a small laugh.  
"Well, Giles, rebuilding the Watcher's Council sounds good. Vi, Rona, why don't you go with him?" Buffy suggested.  
"You're not going with us?" Vi asked.  
"No. Dawn and I have talked about it, and we're headed to Rome. Sun, surf-"  
"Cute guys," Dawn added. Buffy smiled.  
"Anyway, we'll have to do something like this again some time. Only, without the whole Hellmouth and death and blood and Übervamps thing," Buffy said. The got on the bus and headed to the airport and there, they split up and went their separate ways. 


	2. Chapter 2

One month later...  
  
"Dawn, where'd you put the suntan lotion?" Buffy asked.  
"I think I left it at the hotel. Is that bad?" Dawn asked.  
"Well, seeing as how we're headed back to the states, I don't see the harm," Buffy said as she entered the airport terminal. She had enjoyed her vacation. Mainly it was because for once it had been a complete vacation, not just one for Buffy while the Slayer went and did her thing. Buffy's vamp-dar hadn't gone off once since they'd gotten to Rome, and there hadn't been a single murder victim drained of their blood in the news. They waited for about an hour until their plane began boarding. Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Buffy's instincts kicked in and she grabbed the arm attached to the hand and threw the person over her shoulder. As the man reached the floor, Buffy recognized him.  
"Riley?" Buffy asked.  
"Well, I should have known by now not to sneak up on the Slayer," Riley moaned. Buffy quickly helped him up.  
"Riley, what are you doing here?"  
"Giles told me you and Dawn were in Rome. You know, you are pretty hard to track," Riley said.  
"It's what's kept me alive," Buffy said, with a smirk, the memory of waking up in her coffin two years ago flashing through her head.  
"Anyway, I'm here on business," Riley said.  
"Weren't you always?" Dawn said.  
"Hi Dawn. Anyway, can we talk somewhere less crowded?" Riley asked.  
"Actually, our flight is leaving like, now," Buffy said.  
"I've got it covered. Sam's already working on a distraction," Riley said.  
"Sam? You brought Sam?" she asked.  
"You don't mind? I mean, she is my wife," Riley said.  
"Yeah. I guess it's still a little hard thinking that one of my ex's has a wife while I'm still single," Buffy said.  
"So, uh, are you and Spike...?" Riley said. From his tone, he was obviously dreading the answer.  
"Spike's dead. He died about a month ago, saving my life," Buffy said solemnly.  
"Are we talking about the same Spike?" Riley asked.  
"He had a soul," Buffy said.  
"Really? Does every vampire you have sex with have a soul?" Riley asked.  
"I earned that. But we haven't had sex since, uh..."  
"Since I caught you in the act?" Riley asked.  
"Yeah."  
"Riley!" Buffy turned to see Sam walking up to them. "Buffy, you look great," Sam said.  
"And you look... pregnant!" Buffy said. It was true. Sam looked to be about seven months pregnant.  
"I know. Isn't this great?" Sam smiled.  
"We had a sonogram recently. It's a girl, and we were considering naming her after you," Riley said.  
"Really? Wow. I mean... wow," Buffy said. She sat down to process things.  
"Riley, have you told her about why we even called her here?" Sam asked.  
"Right. Buffy, there's a crisis that we were hoping you'd help us with," Riley said.  
"How many bombshells do you plan on dropping on me so quickly, Riley?" Buffy asked.  
"It hasn't been intentional. But since Sam's pregnant, and about to go on maternity leave, we figured that it would be safer if we had some help from the Slayer," Riley said.  
"That's great, Riley, but I'm not THE Slayer anymore," Buffy said.  
"I don't understand. I thought it was your destiny," Riley said.  
"Oh, it is. But there are now hundreds or thousands of Slayers. It's a part of how we won the battle of Sunnydale," Buffy said.  
"Right. A battle that will never make the history books," Riley said.  
"Uh huh. So. What's the problem?" Buffy asked.  
"There's a government base is Greenland that went silent a few weeks back," Riley said.  
"And this involves me... how?" Buffy asked.  
"Last week, a few civilians there were said to have been dismembered by, what eye-witnesses refer to as, big green aliens," Riley said.  
"And you think that these 'aliens' were demons," Buffy said.  
"Not think. Know. I spoke to Giles the day after we got the report and gave him the description. He identified it as a... 'Knee-jer-ack-ba' demon," Riley said, mangling the demon's name.  
"A wha?" Buffy asked.  
  
"The 'K'ne'jer'ak'ba' demon. They can withstand all sorts of cold, up to and including negative two hundred and fifty degrees..."  
"Cold little buggers, aren't they?" Buffy asked.  
"...Celsius. They are rarely seen away from either the north or south pole. They're easily identified by their green skin, which glows in a radioactive light in all sorts of patterns, usually similar in their family groups. They reproduce by laying one of their eggs in... the still warm body of a freshly killed human. When the egg hatches, it emerges as a vapor, which lets it take over the motor functions of the corpse. It then alters the DNA of the corpse to turn it into a fully grown demon," Dawn read straight out of the demon book.  
"So they attacked the base as a breeding ground?" Sam asked.  
"Sound like it," Buffy said.  
"So. That's why there's no Santa Claus. These guys must have killed him," Dawn said. Riley smiled a little.  
"Okay, so, we got a creepy crawly that turns its victims into one of it. What do I do to kill it?" Buffy asked.  
"That's where the problem is," Riley said.  
"There is no known way to kill the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon besides pure vacuum," Dawn said.  
"So they can't be killed by cutting off the head?" Buffy asked.  
"We don't know where its head is. Dawn, please read on," Riley said.  
"The anatomy of the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon is almost entirely different from other known creatures of the world. There is a head stalk and a limb resembling a head, however, all studies have shown that this is not where any known body part is place. Unlike humans and most demons, the K'ne'jer'ak'ba does not have a centralized brain. Instead, its thought processes are spread out throughout the nerves of its body. Nice things, huh?" Dawn said.  
"Yeah. So, Riley, if it can't be killed, why not just give them the base?" Buffy asked.  
"Apparently, these demons have been planning this for a few weeks," Riley said.  
"How do you know?" Dawn asked.  
"And who died to give you it?" Buffy asked.  
"Most of the demon research team. Unlike the Initiative, the D.R.T. only studies dead demons. Buffy, the government has decided that if something isn't done about the demons, they're going to evacuate everyone off of Greenland and bomb the place," Riley said.  
"So? That sounds like a safe plan," Buffy said.  
"Not really. I've been going ahead and reading through this, and it says that while the demons are mostly found in the poles, there have been recorded cases of them attacking in other parts of the world. And that while the young are inhabiting the corpses, they can act like any normal human, including talking. They remember what their victims do, so they could walk an incubator into an evac ship and kill the people there and lay its eggs in them," Dawn said.  
"So they're like a really big and green vampire?" Buffy asked.  
"Well, they aren't killed by sunlight or a stake to the heart, but basically," Riley said.  
"Has anyone considered the other possibility?" Dawn asked silently.  
"What other possibility?" Buffy asked.  
"That these things really are aliens like the witnesses say?" Dawn finished. There was silence.  
"Aliens. First time for everything. I suppose they're aren't coming in peace," Buffy said.  
"Probably," Riley said. "Aliens..."  
"What, you don't have Men in Black?" Dawn asked.  
"The government doesn't believe in aliens. Just demons. Aliens. That would explain why it's almost entirely different from the demons we've faced in the past," Riley said.  
"The government doesn't believe in aliens?" Buffy asked.  
"Well, I bet that the writers of these demon guides don't believe in aliens either, considering they called them demons," Dawn said.  
"Riley, maybe you and Sam should sit this out," Buffy said.  
"No. At least, I'm not sitting this out. But Sam is," Riley said.  
"Riley-"  
"Sam, you're going to either stay here, go back home, or go and stay with Giles. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby," Riley said.  
"I was going to say 'be careful', but now I'm going to say that do you think I'm crazy enough to go up against demons, let alone aliens, when I'm in the third trimester?" Sam asked.  
"Well-"  
"Riley, trust me, let it go," Buffy said.  
"You're probably safer if you just apologize for jumping to conclusions," Dawn said.  
"You're probably right," Riley said.  
"Buffy, should we call some of the gang?" Dawn asked. "Or maybe Angel? I mean, he does have that law firm's abilities at his fingertips."  
"No. We can handle this. I've killed one alien before. I can kill another," Buffy said.  
"Buffy, are you sure that that's a good idea? The Queller was a hell of a lot smaller than these de- aliens, and there are a lot of them. Just at the attack last week, there were said to be about five of them, and the base was crewed by about two hundred and fifty men," Riley said.  
"And who knows how many more were involved with the attack, plus how many they've nabbed and killed for their young? Buffy, you really will need help with this," Sam said.  
"Maybe we could use some help," Buffy said, taking in the numbers. " Dawn, I want you to call Giles, then Willow and Kennedy, Faith, and then Xander."  
"Right," Dawn said.  
"And Dawn? Tell Xander that you're going to be staying with him," Buffy said.  
"What?" Dawn asked.  
"I don't want you in any danger, and Xander doesn't even have magic to help him," Buffy said. "Dawn, you are not going to be in this fight. Its too dangerous."  
"I found the Turok-Han, didn't I?" Dawn said.  
"Dawn. No arguments. Please. This is too dangerous, and I won't have you fighting in this battle," Buffy said. Dawn pouted, but Buffy stood firm. Dawn left to go make the calls. "And Dawn? Before we go, you're giving me your tazer," Buffy said.  
"I know I've been out of the loop, but Faith? Isn't she the psycho second Slayer?" Riley asked. "The one who took over your body?"  
"Things have changed. She helped us out and is searching for redemption," Buffy said.  
"Isn't everyone?" Riley sighed. Buffy rolled her eyes. They waited until Dawn returned with the phone.  
"Giles wants to speak to you guys," Dawn said. Buffy and Riley headed into the other room and put him on the speakerphone.  
"Buffy, what is it? Dawn was telling me something about Greenland and aliens? It sounds like she's been spending too much time with Andrew," Giles said. Buffy chuckled. Riley looked at her. Buffy made a 'later' gesture, and then filled Giles in.  
"So, the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon is really an alien being?" Giles asked.  
"That's our working theory. It explains certain differences in its biology," Buffy said.  
"Yes, but you and Dawn both flunked biology," Giles said.  
"Ha, ha. Very funny Giles. But Riley agrees with us," Buffy said.  
"And biology was my minor back at U.C. Sunnydale," Riley said. " Especially the demon variety."  
"I suppose that working in the Initiative would do that to you," Giles muttered.  
"Giles, Riley says that there must be around two hundred and fifty of them, and more on the way. We need help. Can you call Willow and get her up here?" Buffy asked.  
"Well, uh, that would be the problem. You see, Kennedy called me yesterday and told me that something has happened to Willow. Kennedy says that Willow had been working with some high level magicks, and then... disappeared. Kennedy doesn't know anything else," Giles said.  
"Giles, you don't call, you don't write, and leave me to find out about these things when I need what's missing," Buffy said.  
"Giles, where was Willow?" Riley asked.  
"Somewhere in Brazil. Why do you ask?" Giles sad.  
"Buffy, maybe Dawn, Xander, and Sam could go to Brazil and find Willow," Riley suggested.  
"It couldn't be as dangerous as sending them to Greenland," Giles said.  
"It sounds like a good idea," Buffy said.  
"And Dawn doesn't attack Xander with a tazer in this plan either," Giles said.  
"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Dawn asked.  
"Probably not."  
"Right, well, I'll call Xander and have him on the next flight to... Uh, will we be meeting there or here?"  
"Dawn and I are done with the Rome scene. It's gotten a little dull," Buffy said.  
"Very well. I'll see you here in the morning, then, right?" Giles asked.  
"As soon as you give me Faith's number," Buffy said. She wrote down the number of Faith and Robin's hotel, then hung up with Giles. Quickly, she dialed the number.  
"Yeah?" Faith asked. She sounded groggy, and Buffy wondered what the time difference between here and where Faith's hotel was.  
"Faith? Sorry if I'm waking you, I don't know what the time difference between Rome and New York is," Buffy said.  
"B? Hey, what's the problem? And does it involve any slaying?" Faith asked, waking up. Buffy filled her in.  
"You up for it?" Buffy asked.  
"Sounds cool. Robin and I can get a ride up to Britain and be there by tomorrow night," Faith said.  
"Great. See you soon," Buffy said. She hung up.  
"So are you going to call Angel too?" Riley asked.  
"Why?"  
"Dawn told me about that law firm he's gotten control of. Sounds like he could be of some pretty good help," Riley said.  
"No. That law firm is pure evil. With a capital E-V-I. Angel made a mistake by accepting their help, and so until he realizes it, we're not going to help him or get his help," Buffy said. "Anyway, the four of us better get going to the airport." 


End file.
